Even though this is somewhat personal, I think this will also say something of a more general nature.
My father read us the LotR when we were children - we never got finished, but that made me read the stuff myself. That was in the 70's.
I went to see Roy Bakshi's animation when it came to the theatres and I surely was impressed. That was the early 80's.
I read the books (LotR, Hobbit, Silm.) to my children as they were 4-6 year-old. They have been hooked ever since - Lommy particularly (her little sister will not join the BD on priciple as we two - on her mind - are too enthusiastic with it
). That was the 90's - and is today.
Now Lommy has persuaded me to come here - and I just have loved my time around. I admit being most taken by the RPG's and WW'ing, but the other threads have been interesting too, truly.
Anyhow, there seems to be different kinds of people posting in here as Bęthberry noted. I'm not good at the Tolkien trivia, and I admit it. Still I have read the books a couple of times and have my own impression of them from the decades before the PJ-films and I love them! I love Tolkien's world and I'm not hesitant to say this. It's so great to see a community of this kind! This is just how it should be!
And to try to answer Lalwende's opening question: yes, there are different generations of Tolkien-lovers. And we should not ignore those who have taken their first glimpse of the "Tolkien world" via the movies by PJ. How do these people differ from those who got into Tolkien in the 60's because of their friends and Led Zeppelin? That was the popular culture of the time.... or people like me, being read the stories on my childhood? We "elders" shouldn't discrace people getting interested on Tolkien just because they got interested in him / his works via Hollywood, unlike we did?
I just love the internet-age. There wouldn't be a Barrow Downs without it...
